God of War Gamers Thrilled, Santa Monica Drops Free Multiplayer Mode

God of War’s recent controversy appears to have quelled.

Surprise prequel God of War: Sons of Sparta was shadowdropped during PlayStation’s most recent State of Play event.

Admittedly, the 2D action-adventure metroidvania, which stars a young Kratos, hasn’t exactly blown gamers nor critics away, but it was a pleasant surprise nonetheless.

At the time of writing, God of War: Sons of Sparta sits at a score of 65 with critics arguing that whilst entertaining, the game fails to do anything impressive or unique.

The co-op multiplayer mode has drawn particular criticism for a number of reasons.

Some say it’s not all that well-made, but most of the controversy surrounds how the mode wasn’t previously available until after players had completed the single-player campaign.

The only problem is that the PlayStation Store advertised the game as being playable via co-op, so you can imagine the disappointment when the conditions surrounding it were made clear after a hefty purchase.

A few weeks on though and Santa Monica Studio has heard the complaints of gamers.

God of War: Sons of Sparta’s co-op multiplayer mode has now been made instantaneously available, but it does come with a warning.

The co-op mode is titled The Pit of Agonies, and it’s a roguelike challenge where players will face off against various enemies with randomised rewards and loot pools.

Players Can Unlock The Mode By Inserting a Secret Code

“Normally The Pit is accessible only after you beat the main story to ensure those who attempt it are familiar with both Kratos’ Spartan arms and the foes you will face, but if you feel ready to test your skills earlier, you can input this sequence below in the starting menu to unlock it early,” PlayStation wrote in a blog post.

That sequence is as follows: Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, L1, R1, Touchpad.

After inputting that, you’ll see a new option on the start menu allowing you to dive straight into The Pit of Agonies if you so dare.

SIE

You can play The Pit of Agonies solo, but I’m imagining most interested in doing that will wait until they’ve completed the single-player campaign.

The whole reason for this move is to appease those who purchased the title thinking it was entirely two-player.

The mode only offers local couch co-op, so you won’t be able to play with a friend online which is a shame.

There’s plenty more God of War on the way if Sons of Sparta has missed the mark for you.

A remake of the original Greek trilogy is in the works which will bring back TC Carson as Kratos; that project is very early in development, so it’s likely going to be several years until we hear more.

There’s no word yet on whether one game will launch at a time, or whether Santa Monica plans to release the entire trilogy in one go.

There’s the Prime Video TV adaptation coming too, which should begin filming soon now that casting is almost complete.

Rumours also claim that another secret game is in development with current Kratos, Christopher Judge, teasing a reveal this summer.

Naturally, we’re all hoping those things are linked and we’re getting a new mainline entry, but we’ll have to wait and see.